The December figure is up one-tenth of a percentage point from 8.5 percent in November. The rate was 9.4 percent in December a year ago.

State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler released the new numbers Thursday morning. He said a combination of factors led to the increase. They include what he called a modest increase in new layoffs, along with a small job loss driven primarily by seasonal layoffs in education.

Despite the increase, Butler said it was the best November-to-December job market report since 2007.

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